Charlottesville Advocates Rally for City to Divest in Fossil Fuels

Members of several community advocacy organizations rallied together on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall on Saturday.

Saturday, April 27th 2019, 10:13 PM EDT

Updated:

Saturday, April 27th 2019, 10:14 PM EDT

Reported by Carly Kempler

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) -
Members of several community advocacy organizations rallied together on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall on Saturday. The groups wanted Charlottesville’s City Council to stop investing public money in companies producing fossil fuels and weapons.

Some of the advocates brought up the same issue at a city council meeting a few weeks prior. On Saturday, they handed out flyers and hosted a rally to spread awareness to the community about this issue.

“Most people we talk to walking by have no idea that their public dollars are invested in fossil fuel companies and weapons companies we were never asked, it was never a public decision,” said David Swanson, with World Beyond War.

Members of the group are urging people to come to the city council meeting on May 6, where they said councilors may bring up the issue.